Dagmara Wegielska

When Poland joined the EU in 2004 this opened up employment opportunities in the UK and created a wave of migration. Dagmara was in high school when her father first came to work in Dungannon, her mother joined him when she went to university. After finishing her degree, she came to join her family in County Tyrone.

Although she had learned English at school in Poland, it was somewhat limited. Living in a different country and having to communicate in a new language was not without challenges. She explains how it was very difficult to make friends and integrate. Incredibly, Dagmara chose to enrol on foundation degree in Computer Science to improve her English skills. She laughs that this is where she had no option but to learn English! As well as studying during the week, she was working in one of the factories at weekends. Here she learned a lot about determination and resilience. Sadly, some other employees chose to accept their career path as being destined to the factory floor but not Dagmara, she was very determined this would not be the case for her and she continued to flip negativity and dream big dreams. She has certainly achieved amazing success in her career and now works as a Research and Development Manager for a major company.

Her culture and home country have great significance to her and she was determined to retain her Polish heritage. She met a Polish man who had also come to NI in search of work and they married. Always having in the back of her mind that one day she might return to Poland, meeting a partner who understood this sense of belonging and traditions from her country was important. They now have a little boy. The family speak Polish at home and their son is quickly picking up English at school and is bilingual. Like many other women who have come to live in NI from other countries, the legacy of language is key to intergenerational connection. Passing down the mother tongue ensures that children maintain connections with grandparents and extended family, strengthening family ties.

As well as immediate family members, Dagmara and her husband have very good Polish friends who she met when she came here first. She and Magdalena feel almost like sisters! Dagmara’s Mum was Magdalena’s children’s babysitter and they have remained close friends ever since. It is special to have close friends from home to share holidays times and with similar emphasis on the importance of Polish traditions especially at Christmas and Easter this has become precious.

Dagmara balances a full time job, with family commitments alongside pursuing her great passion of horse riding. From she was a little girl she dreamed of having her own horse. Little did she know in adult life she would have the opportunity to buy an ex-racehorse! She loves to ride in any free time and retraining an ex-racehorse is no mean feat! Like everything else she does, Dagmara is committed, patient and determined in fulfilling this childhood dream. Keeping her horse at local stables also opens up opportunities to make friends and build community based on common interests.